Be Gentle Not Harsh-Selah43-CMAW128

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  . . . the wisdom from above is first pure,  then peaceable, gentle, open to reason,  full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere—James 3:17

 

 

A lot of men—not every man—but a lot of us struggle to hold back a harsh and judgmental attitude toward the world around us, sometimes even toward those we love the most. In the rush and charge of life, with the volatility of family, the pressure of work, the friction of the world, we too often give in to snap impulses to anger and criticism. They feel right in the moment, but they never are (Proverbs 14:17). More considered, gentler approaches are always better—less destructive, more effective, more powerful (Proverbs 19:11, 29:11; James 3:13-18).

 

These impulses also reveal something deeper: our pride. If we’re honest, they come from thinking too highly of ourselves, trusting ourselves too much, trusting our wisdom, our capabilities, and our “ways” too much . . . and thinking too little of those of the people around us. But, “God opposes the proud,” as pride leads only to hurt and separation (James 4:6; Proverbs 16:18).

 

So, we must take ground in this struggle. We mustn’t let another day, another year, another decade slip by, doing nothing. These impulses are too hard on others. We must allow our guide, God the Holy Spirit, to train us in humility, to be “quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20).

 

Prov 14:17 "A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of wicked intentions is hated."

Prov 19:11 "The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger,
And his glory is to overlook a transgression."

Prov 29:11 "A fool vents all his feelings,[a]
But a wise man holds them back."

James 3:13-18 "13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and [a]self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."

James 4:6 "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

Prov 16:18 "Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before [a]a fall."

James 1:19-20 "]So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God."

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, so what do we do? 

Confess and repent to God, in prayer. Turn your back on that harsh, judgmental man. Declare that you want to be a different kind of man. Invite God’s training. That’s a bold prayer—so bring a brother (or a few) into the endeavor. Ask him/them to pray for you, speak truth to you, and keep you accountable as God begins to move in your life.

 

 

 

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So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God grew and multiplied.

Acts 12:21-24 - NKJV

Note-my pastor when told about a great sermon, says "thank the Lord"

We can do that at least in our hearts

 

 

 

 

 

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Brandon, contractor, "It's easy to work hard, it's hard to work easy", a variation on work smart, not hard.  In this case, rather than moving pile of scrap wood to an alternate location that would later need to be loaded to my pickup to take to the dump, why not back up the pick-up and load once then take to the dump

 

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Check out "The Chosen" - 1st season with 8 episodes, watched on Pureflix.

Apologetics tip from Ben LaCorte Reasons2Believe CMAW 113:

• Bringing the heart of the Gospel to a person is more than just rambling off verses and bringing logical arguments.
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H - from John Shirey - Time ManagementCMAW118

 

• It's important to think not just about what to do but what NOT to do